«LIFE» – is a Decent Life

On December 3, Minister of Labor and Social Issues of Armenia Artem Asatryan and USAID Armenia Mission Director Karen Hilliard joined Save the Children Armenia team at a press conference and photo exhibition in Yerevan, dedicated to the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The event was organized within the framework of “We All Have the Right to Work” campaign launched as part of the USAID-funded Livelihood Improvement through Fostered Employment (LIFE) for People with Disabilities program.

The public outreach campaign was implemented throughout Armenia in November-December 2012 with the aim of promoting the right to equal work opportunities for people with disabilities (PWDs). Public outreach activities, roundtable discussions, job fairs, exhibitions, marz coordination council meetings, and press conferences were organized with active involvement of major stakeholders, including state authorities, employers, civil society organizations, media, and PWDs.

The press conference on December 3 presented the activities of the campaign, as well as the achievements of the LIFE program in 2012. The photo exhibition then wrapped up the campaign, presenting the working and creative potential of PWDs.

There are 180,500 officially registered PWDs in Armenia. Many of them face problems due to societal perceptions, poorly enforced regulations, and discrimination at the workplace. In addition, PWDs often lack adequate access to information about their rights. The USAID-funded LIFE program (2012-2015) works to promote equal employment opportunities and access to employment as a basic human right of PWDs. It is implemented by Save the Children in partnership with Activa International Foundation, Unison NGO, Human Dignity and Peace (HDP) Foundation, and Full Life NGO. The program closely cooperates with the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues of Armenia, the State Employment Service Agency, Employment Centers, PWDs, NGOs, local and marz authorities, service providers, technical and vocational education, and training institutions and employers.

Source: http://armenia.usaid.gov/en/news-events/413

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